Late last night--just hours after Mark Sanford admitted more visits to his Argentine honey--the state's attorney general ordered a probe of Sanford's travel records.
"In light of the governor's disclosure of additional travel today, I have requested that SLED conduct a preliminary review of all Governor Sanford's travel records to determine if any laws have been broken or any state funds misused," Attorney General Henry McMaster said in a statement.
McMaster has been slow to pull the trigger on a formal probe of any kind into Sanford's actions. He says he doesn't want this to turn into a Sanford lynching. However, McMaster's running for governor next year, and a Sanford departure would give Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer (who apparently has his own issues) a considerable leg up in the gubernatorial race.
However, yesterday's revelations put this in the area of something that simply had to be investigated. McMaster admitted as much to the NYT late yesterday.
"With these additional facts that have come forward, we’re in an expanded area," Mr. McMaster said in a telephone interview. "And it’s appropriate for the State Law Enforcement Division to now gather the facts and review the records and see if there is any evidence of criminal activity. Specifically, we are focusing on the private use of public funds."
Sanford is still maintaining that he fully intends to serve out his term. But at this point, with a probe that will more than likely expand into a formal criminal probe, the only question is whether he will go on his own or be impeached. And the bar for impeachment in South Carolina is very low--according to the state constitution, it only requires a finding that Sanford engaged in "serious crimes or serious misconduct in office."